The remains were found dumped in a plastic bag at Ashton Park, near the recycling bins in the car park.

PC Mark Thomas, Force Wildlife Crime Officer said: “It would appear that the deer have been poached and taken down by dogs due to the tell-tale markings and wounds on the heads, mouth and necks of the animals.

“From what we can tell so far, particularly from the rough cuts and apparent lack of proper knowledge of carcass handling, I would say the people responsible are not professional. They are, most likely, just opportunists who use dogs to hunt and bring down deer and kill them in an inhumane way just to satisfy what they see as a sport.

“At this stage it is not clear whether the deer were killed in the Preston area where their remains were found or whether they were killed elsewhere in Lancashire and so I am appealing to anyone with any information, to come forward.

“In particular, I would appeal to anyone who may have seen any suspicious activity around the Ashton Park area over the weekend to come forward with any information they may have.”

Anyone with any information is asked to call police on the new non-emergency number 101 or alternatively, information can be passed to the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or on-line at Crimestoppers-uk.org.

No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.